Vintage Pipes

[monbla256]

In my shopping for pipes ive come across more than a few places where ive read that pipes made in the past smoke better than what is out there today, the number one reason (among many) being that superior briar was available at the time. Im not really convinced as there are so many carvers today who focus on everything from mechanics to perfect construction to finish, and i find it hard that a pipe made in say the 30's or 40's would be better. I mean id love to have a 69 mustang, but in a practical sense im sure there are tons of cars out there now that drive better than it. Anyone have any thoughts?

Since this thread has straid from it's original direction into a Dunhill thread, bieng a Dunhill owner/smoker who has pipes made by this firm bought new and made from the late 60's to the late 70's i have to say they were and still are, well made and smoking pipes but I have aquired twice as many Charatan's and almost 3 times as many BBB's from the same time frame and honestly found them to ALL be EXCELLENTLY made pipes and personally have to say that my BBB's smoked and still smoke BETTER than the Dunhills of that time. Doesn't meen the Dunhills were any less a pipe, just with my manner of smoking, and my tobacco's I smoked in them, for me, the Charatans and BBB's were better. And really, the only way one could say definatively whether a new Dunhill was as good as an older one, would be if you bought one of each new, broke them in with the same type of tobacco for the same length of time. Since this is impossible for just about ALL of us to do, how can anyone say one era's are better/worse than the other?

 

[Harlock999]

Who's to say what a Dunhill should or should not be?

For years, Wynton Marsalis has been bent on defining what jazz is, and crucially, what isn't jazz. His critics say he has turned jazz into a museum relic.
Would it be better if Dunhill was just a museum? One that doesn't embarrass itself or disgrace it's reputation by actually trying to sell something?
In my opinion, a company like Dunhill really can't be held responsible for the possible devaluation of a legacy that none currently associated with the firm played any role in creating.
The business is responsible for making (or marketing) a product stamped "Dunhill" from which it will turn a profit.

Would it be nice to walk into a luxuriously appointed Dunhill showroom of old, where a knowledgeable staff assists a gentleman in choosing a pipe and tobacco suited to his taste and liking? Yes, probably.
Would most of us be turned away from such an establishment due to our general slovenly appearance? Probably also yes.

So damn all the metrosexuals and their fey affectations!
And how dare they make obsolete our manliest of affectations...

None of this has any point to it...sorry!

 

[Richard Burley]

Yawn. Three years of German and I spelled Nietzsche's name wrong.

 

[MisterE]

If it makes folks happy to be able to say "It was less common ages ago to find a bad smoking Dunhill than it is to find a good smoking one today" then so be it. I think it's a silly thing to worry about but that doesn't mean it isn't true. All I know is that I own a few 60s, 70s, 80s and 2002-2010 Dunhills and they all smoke great. They are all made well and damnit I like them

I'm with Monbla on this one; don't waste too much time worrying about what others agree is a good value. Find out for yourself. Don't pay a lot for anything unless you are certain it's worth it to you

Fwiw I'm smoking a Dunhill from 2003 right now and it's sublime. I bought it used from a friend and it's worth twice what I paid IMHO :cheers:

I think you nailed it on the head. It ain't what the "market" says but what what a pipe says to you. If you like it and it smokes well, it's worth every penny you spent.

I'm smoking a mis-drilled, off-center, and warped 1987 Dunhill as I type this. It's a serious quality control escapee and IMO should've been stamped "Parker" or "Hardcastle". I happen to like this pipe anyway, and this parfait of Black/Brown Irish X tastes spectacular. I'd probably buy it again. 8)

 

[Kyle Weiss]

None of this has any point to it...sorry!

Well, not when you put it like that, no, it really doesn't. :lol:

I think there is a point to it, but it got lost in everyone's opinions on the situation. I'd recap, but I doubt that'd do any good. :lol: 8)

 

[Richard Burley]

Kyle, for the love of God, DON'T RECAP! :lol!:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Kyle, for the love of God, DON'T RECAP! :lol!:

...seriously.

I have concluded, though, that everyone should quit being nit-picky babies, because I didn't see one poster (with the exception of maybe myself) that doesn't have at least one high-end, name-brand pipe that I'm sure they fully enjoy. With that in mind, they should be happy, as that pipe will likely be with them for a lifetime. :lol: